Regulatory Update

NRC Issues Construction Permit for Molten Salt Research Reactor at Abilene Christian University

September 16, 2024

The NRC has issued a Construction Permit to Abilene Christian University (ACU) to build its Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR) facility on the university’s campus in Abilene, Texas.   It marks the first research reactor project approved by the NRC in a number of decades.  The MSRR, which will not generate electricity, will use molten salt coolant with fuel dissolved in the salt. The facility will provide a platform to research molten-salt technology, as well as educational opportunities in nuclear science and engineering. The construction permit only authorizes construction; ACU will have to submit a separate application for an NRC operating license in the future. 

The NRC accepted ACU’s application to build the reactor and began the regulatory review in November 2022.  The NRC issued its final environmental assessment for the site on March 7, 2024, and the final safety evaluation for the permit on September 16.